When creating a significant learning environment for learners, there are some important things to consider. First, it is vital to have a “big, hairy, audacious, goal” (or BHAG) in mind. This is important because as educators plan assignments and assessments, they need to have an end goal in mind. Without a BHAG at the forefront of course or unit planning, activities and assessments may not target the specific goal. As an educator, I find it most valuable
to look at the goal/outcome I am looking to find first, and then use that information to “plan backwards.” This helps me to guarantee that all my assessments and assignments align to my targeted standards (TEKS) and goals.
It is also important to keep in mind that a goal should not be to have students merely “collect the dots”, we should be focused on our students being able to
“connect the dots” (Godin, 2012). I think this idea becomes easily lost in today’s education due to standardized testing, but we have to remember that standardization does not have the goal of true authentic learning in mind. Its goal is to normalize, standardize, and keep education under surveillance (Thomas, 2012). In order to create life-long, intrinsically motivated learners, we have to create a significant learning environment that allows for learning to be based on a foundational knowledge, with opportunities for the application of skills that also integrates an aspect of human dimension and caring. With all of these things, a student can continue or learn to be a self-directed, life-long learner (Fink, 2013).
Using the readings from this week, I was able to think of a BHAG that I wanted to plan for. Since I had the BHAG at the forefront of my plans, it allowed me to ensure my assignments and assessments are aligned with my outcome. Planning this way will allow me to create a
significant learning environment for my students which will allow them to make real connections to their learning and be successful critical thinkers beyond the walls of our classroom.
References
Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. John Wiley & Sons.
Godin, S. [TEDxYouth]. (2012, October 16). Stop stealing dreams [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXpbONjV1Jc
Harapnuik, D. (2015, August 15). Connecting the Dots vs Collecting the Dots. Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85XpexQy68g&feature=youtu.be
T. (2012). A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM. Retrieved November 21, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM80GXlyX0U&list=PLDjE4D9cdpa3LIt88QG6XBtXdXgjR4Ch8&index=99&t=0s
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